Price out of All-Star Game due to "turf toe"

David Price has withdrawn from the All-Star game due to "turf toe" in his left big toe.

Price will still attend the game, but won't be active to pitch. There has been no mention of any injury with Price prior to this announcement, which came in the first inning of Sunday's game. Also, James Shields was officially taken off the active roster - since he started Sunday's game - and was replaced ceremonially by the Yankees CC Sabathia, who also started Saturday and then was replaced by Texas' Alexi Ogando.

With the two moves, the Rays will have only one active player in the All-Star Game, OF Matt Joyce.

Price threw 112 pitches on Saturday - including the one that was Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit - and didn't appear to be limited in any fashion

The injury would certainly be convenient for the Rays - assuming he can make a miraculous recovery - in that he could start Friday's first game after the break vs. Boston at full strength.

About an hour before game time, manager Joe Maddon made no mention of the injury and in talking about the post-break rotation said "it'll be" Price and James Shields in the first two games: "Theoretically perfect we'd like to have David start the first game on Friday, we think that's the best way to do it. But we're also working on the back side of that too, how to sent up Niemann, Hellickson and, without Davis, having to pop maybe Alex (Cobb) in there, etc. So we're still working on the whole thing.''

Maddon was asked if it was as simple a matter as how much Price pitched on Tuesday to determine whether he started Friday, and said: "It's a little but more complicated than that.''

Yankees reliever David Robertson - and not the Rays Kyle Farnsworth - was chosen to replace Price.

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The Tampa Bay Rays will head into the 2015 season with Evan Longoria, Chris Archer, Alex Cobb and plenty of new faces, including manager Kevin Cash. Can they upend the Orioles in the highly competitive AL East? Come here to follow Rays news at Tropicana Field and beyond.